Dishwasher having cabinet configuration for use beneath kitchen sink and disposer



April 20, 1965 T. E. JENKINS 3,179,481

DISHWASHER HAVING CABINET CONFIGURATION FOR Filed April 50, 1964 USE BENEA'IH KITCHEN SINK AND DISPOSER 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR THOMAS E. TENNNS BY M g HS ATTORNEY April 20, 1965 1'. E. JENKINS 3,179,481

DISHWASHER HAVING CABINET CONFIGURATION FOR USE BENEATH KITCHEN SINK AND DISPOSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 30, 1964 F'IG.3

INVENTOR.

THOMAS E. J'ENKHUS HlS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,17%,4Sl DISHWASHER HAVING QABINET CONFIGURA- TIGN FOR USE BENEATH KITQHEN SINK AND DHSPGdER Thomas ill. Jenkins, Louisville, Ky, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 363,718 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-223) The present invention relates to an automatic dishwasher and more particularly to an automatic dishwasher construction wherein the dishwasher is mounted below a sink and food waste disposer.

It is highly desirable to utilize household kitchen space as economically as possible. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an under-sink dishwasher construction which utilizes the available space as efiiciently as possible.

In one aspect of this invention I provide a dishwasher construction in which a dishwasher is mounted beneath a kitchen sink and food waste disposer. For this purpose the dishwasher has a housing which forms a dishwashing chamber with an access opening in the front. The top surface of the housing is formed with sections of different heights to interfit with the sink and the various elements mounted under the sink. The top surface has a trough portion which is spaced from an under-sink water supply mechanism to provide an air gap in the water supply system for the dishwasher. To provide electric power to the dishwasher a flexible conductor connects a terminal member adjacent the lower end of the dishwasher housing to an electric outlet mounted on the underside of the sink. A flexible conduit connects the pump of the dishwasher to the disposer to drain vitiatcd water from the dishwasher. Guide plates are mounted on one side of the dishwasher housing and the adjacent wall of the counter to guide and support the conductor and the conduit when the dishwasher is inserted in the counter.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. My invention, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side clevat-ional view of a dishwasher construction incorporating my invention, part-1y broken away and partly in cross-section;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view similar to FIGURE 1, with the dishwasher removed from the kitchen counter; and

FIGURE 3 is a partial front elevational view of the kitchen counter with the dishwasher removed for purposes of illustration.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a kitchen counter having a generally horizontal counter top 11 and a pair of spaced vertical members 12 and 13 forming a compartment 14 to receive a dishwasher 15'. A sink 16 is mounted in an opening in the counter top 11 and extends downwardly within the compartment 14. The sink may be of a conventional type having a pair of faucets 17 and 18 to control the flow of hot and cold water respectively through a spout 19 into sink 16. A pair of water supply pipes 20 and 21 connect faucets 17 and 18 to sources of hot and cold water respectively in the usual way so that, when the faucets are turned on, water of the selected temperature flows out of the spout l9. Near one rear corner of the sink 16 there is provided a drain opening 22 to which is connected a food waste disposer 23 so that water and food draining from the sink will flow through the disposer and then out a drain pipe 24 in the conventional manner. A bracket 25 is secured to the sink to and projects below its rear edge in spaced relationship with the disposer 23. A water supply mechanism 26 and an electric outlet 2'7 are mounted on and extend below the bracket 25 to provide water and electrical energy respectively to the dishwasher 15.

The dishwasher 15 is adapted to be mounted within the compartment 14 includes an outer housing, or cabinet, generally indicated by the numeral 28. The housing has a back wall 29, side Walls 30 and 31 and a top surface 32, all of which are normally stationary. The top surface 32'; is formed with a number of generally horizontal portions of different heights to interfit with the other parts of the installation. A first portion 33 is of maximum height and extends across the front section of the dishwasher. The first portion 33 is provided with a flange 37 which is attached to a bracket 38 mounted under the front portion of sink to by screws, such as that shown at 3851, to secure the dishwasher in compartment 14. A second portion 34 is stepped down from first portion 33 and extends across the dishwasher behind the first portion to fit under sink 16. Third portion 35 is stepped down from second portion 34 and extends rearwardly to join back wall (across only part of the width of the dishwasher) so as to fit under Water supply mechanism as and electric outlet 27. The fourth portion 36 is stepped down from third portion 35 and extends rearwardly from second portion to back wall 29 across the remainder of the width of the disposer so as to fit under the disposer 23 and drain pipe 24. The various generally horizontal portions 33, 3d, 35 and 36 are joined by generally vertical portions 39, 4d and 4,1 to complete the unitary top surface 32. Thus the top surface 32 of the dishwasher is formed to interfit with the other parts of the construction while retaining the maximum usable space within the dishwasher.

The front of the dishwasher is provided with an access opening which is closed by means of a door 53. The access opening provides access to dishwashing chamber 48.

A rack structure 49 is mounted within the dishwashing chamber 4 8 on wheels, such as those indicated at 50, which rest on horizontal ridges, such as that shown at 51, within the chamber 48. With the construction described, the door 43 may be grasped by a handle 52 and moved to a horizontal position, in which it forms an extension of ridges 51 so that the rack structure may be rolled out of the dishwashing chamber 48 to facilitate the loading of dishes to be washed.

The dishwasher 15 may incorporate any suitable washing means such as a rotatable water-ejecting member 53 and a rotatable, telescoping, water-ejecting member 54, both of which are ted from a combination pump and motor 55. In order to introduce Water into the dishwasher the Water supply mechanism 26 is formed with a water supply pipe 56 connected to a discharge pipe 5'7 by a solenoid operated valve 58, the water supply pipe 56 being connected to the same suitable source of hot water as water inlet pipe 2%. Vertical portion of top surface 32 is provided with a rearwardly extending trough 59. The open top of the trough 59 is positioned below and spaced from discharge pipe 57 so that an air gap is provided in the water supply system for the dishwasher to prevent contaminated water from being drawn into the household water supply. Valve 53 is provided electrical energy from electrical outl t 27 and is connected to the control of the dishwasher so that the functioning of the valve is properly integrated with the operational sequence of the dishwasher.

Vitiated water is drained from the dishwasher by a flexible conduit 66 which connects the combination pump and motor to the disposer 23 so that water discharged from ,1 the dishwasher will flow to the drain through the conduit as, disposer 23 and drain pipe For drying the dishes after they have been cleansed, a suitable electric heating element 61 is provided to be energized at the end or the washing operation. It may also be energized during the washing operation, if desired, to assist in heating the water within the dishwasher. In order to provide the various elements of the dishwasher with electric power the lower portion of the dishwasher is provided with an electrical terminal structure 62 which is connected to electrical outlet 27 by means of a flexible conductor 63.

vhen it is desired to wash dishes the door is lowered, rack structure 49 is pulled outwardly and the dishes are loaded into the rack, the rack then being returned to the dishwashing chamber and door is closed. The control (not shown) is then set to cause a sequence of operation in which hot water is supplied to the dishwasher by water supply mechanism 2d. The water is then taken in by pump and motor 55 and is ejected upwardly against the dishes with considerable force by the water ejecting members 53 and 54 so as to clean the dishes. The water then flows downwardly within the chamber and, because of the sloping nature of the bottom 64 of the chamber, it is collected around the pump and motor 55 to be taken in again. The pump and motor 55 is of the type which, when rotaed in one direction, provides the aforementioned cleaning and recirculation action and, when rotated in the opposite direction, passes the water out to the drain through conduit After the dishes have been washed and rinsed and the water drained from the dishwashing chamber 48 by pump and motor 55, electric heating element of, is energized to dry the dishes.

Should any of the parts of the dishwasher installation malfunction and need repair, the dishwasher can be removed from the compartment 14, quickly and easily by removing the screws 38a from flange 37 and bracket 38 and then sliding the dishwasher outwardly to the position shown in FZGU 2. In order to guide the flexible conduit es and flexible conductor 63 as the dishwasher is m ved between its position in FIGURES 1 and 2 and to support the conduit and conductor when the dishwasher is in the position shown in FIGURE 1, side wall 31 of housing 28 and vertical member 12 of counter 10 are provided with spaced, cooperating guide plates as and d6 respectively. The guide plates 65 and 66 include outwardly projecting curved portions 67 and 68 which engage the conduit 6% and conductor 63 to guide and support them.

It will be seen from the foregoing that, by my invention, I provide a dishwasher construction which make maximum use of the space under a kitchen counter as well as providing quick and easy access to the various parts of the construction. Also the dishwasher may be quickly and easily removed from the surrounding counter so that nec-. cssary repairs of any of the components can be performed.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire the invention to be limited to the precise construction described, and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. For use beneath a kitchen counter including a horizontal surface member, a sink mounted on and extending below the surface member, a disposer mounted on and extending below the sink, and an electric outlet and Water supply mechanism mounted on and extending below the sink; a dishwasher, comprising (a) a housing having a dishwashing chamber therein.

and an access opening formed at the front thereof, (b) a door for selectively closing said access opening, (c) said housing including a multi-level top surface having generally horizontal portions at different heights to interfit with the surface member, sink, disposer, and electric outlet and water supply mechanism respectively,

(:2) means, including a portion of said housing and said water supply mechanism, forming an air gap in the water supply system for said dishwasher,

(c) said dishwasher including an electrical terminal structure mounted on the lower portion of said housing, a flexible conductor connecting said terminal structure to the electric outlet,

(7) a flexible drain conduit connecting the lower portion of said housing to the disposer, and

(g) a guide plate mounted on one side of said housing,

said guide'plate including a curved portion extending from said housing to support said conductor and said conduit.

2. For use beneath a kitchen counter including a horizontal surface member, a sink mounted on and extending below the surface member, a disposer mounted on and extending below the sink, and an electric outlet and water supply mechanism mounted on and extending below the sink; a dishwasher, comprising:

(a) a housing having a dishwashing chamber therein and an access opening formed at the front thereof,

(b) a door for selectively closing said access opening,

(0) said housing including a multi-level top surface having generally horizontal portions at dii erent heights to interfit with the surface member, sink, disposer, and electric outlet and water supply mechanism respectively,

(d) said top surface further including generally vertical portions interconnecting said generally horizontal portions,

(e) a trough formed in one of said vertical portions of said top surface to cooperate with said water supply mechanism to provide an air gap in the water supply system for said dishwasher,

(f) said dishwasher including an electrical terminal structure mounted on the lower portion of said housing, a flexible conductor connecting said terminal structure to the electric outlet,

(g) a flexible rain conduit connecting the lower portion of said housing to the disposer, and

(h) a guide plate mounted on one side of said housing,

said guide plate including a curvedportion extending from said housing to support said conductor and said conduit.

3. A. dishwasher construction including:

(a) a counter including spaced vertical members and a horizontal upper surface member forming a compartment to receive a dishwasher,

(b) a sink mounted on said surface member and ex- 7 tending downwardly within said compartment, a disposer mounted on and extending downwardly from said sink, and an electric outlet and a water supply mechanism mounted on and extending downwardly from said sink horizontally spaced from said disposer,

(c) a dishwasher including a housing for receipt in said compartment,

((1) said housing having a dishwasning chamber therein and an access opening formed at the front thereof,

(e) a door mounted on the front of said housing for selectively closing said access opening, 7

(f) said housing including a multi-level top surface having generally horizontal portions at different heights to interfit with said surface member, said sink, said disposer, and said electric outlet and said water supply mechanism respectively,

(g) said top surface further including generally vertical portions interconnecting said generally horizontal portions,

(12) a trough formed in one ofsaid vertical portions and spaced from said water supply mechanism to provide an air gap in the water supply system for said dishwasher,

(i) said dishwasher including an electrical terminal structure mounted on the lower portion of said hous ing, a flexible conductor connecting said terminal structure to said electric outlet,

(j) a flexible drain conduit connecting the lower portion of said housing to said disposer, and

(k) a first guide plate mounted on a first side of said housing and a second guide plate mounted on the vertical member of said counter adjacent said first side of said housing, each of said guide plates including a curved portion projecting therefrom to support said conductor and said conduit when said housing is received in said compartment.

4. A dishwasher construction including:

(a) a counter including spaced vertical members and a horizontal upper surface member forming a compartment to receive a dishwasher,

(b) a sink mounted on said surface member and extending downwardly within said compartment, a disposer mounted on and extending downwardly from said sink, and an electric outlet and a water supply mechanism mounted on and extending downwardly from said sink horizontally spaced from said disposer,

(c) a dishwasher including a housing for receipt in said compartment,

(d) said housing having a dishwashing chamber therein and an access opening formed at the front thereof,

(e) a door mounted on the front of said housing for selectively closing said access opening,

(f) said housing having a top surface including a first, generally horizontal portion of maximum height at the front thereof adjacent said opening to interfit with said surface member, a second, generally horizontal portion behind and stepped-down from said first portion to interfit with said sink, a third, generally horizontal portion behind and stepped-down from said second portion and extending substantially to the back of said housing across only part of the width of said second portion to interfit with said electric outlet and said water supply mechanism, and a fourth, generally horizontal portion stepped-down from said third portion and extending substantially to the rear of said housing across the remainder of the width of said second portion to interfit and said disposer,

(g) said top surface further including generally vertical portions interconnecting said generally horizon tal portions,

(11) a trough formed in one of said vertical portions and spaced from said water supply mechanism to provide an air gap in the water supply system for said dishwasher,

(i) said dishwasher including an electrical terminal structure mounted on the lower portion of said housing, a flexible conductor connecting said terminal structure to said electric outlet,

(j) a flexible drain conduit connecting the lower portion of said housing to said disposer, and

(k) a first guide plate mounted on a first side of said housing and a second guide plate mounted on the vertical member of said counter adjacent said first side of said housing, each of said guide plates in cluding a curved portion projecting therefrom to support said conductor and said conduit when said housing is received in said compartment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,946,181 2/34 Stoddard l34133 2,661,750 12/53 McNairy l34115 3,042,471 7/ 62 Haslup 312-223 3,071,424 1/63 Butter 4187 X 3,098,685 7/63 Stiner et a1. 134-415 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,151,637 7/63 Germany.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. FOR USE BENEATH A KITCHEN COUNTER INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL SURFACE MEMBER, A SINK MOUNTED ON AND EXTENDING BELOW THE SURFACE MEMBER, A DISPOSER MOUNTED ON AND EXTENDING BELOW THE SINK, AND AN ELECTRIC OUTLET AND WATER SUPPLY MECHANISM MOUNTED ON AND EXTENDING BELOW THE SINK; A DISHWASHER, COMPRISING (A) A HOUSING HAVING A DISHWASHING CHAMBER THEREIN AND AN ACCESS OPENING FORMED AT THE FRONT THEREOF, (B) A DOOR FOR SELECTIVELY CLOSING SAID ACCESS OPENING, (C) SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A MULTI-LEVEL TOP SURFACE HAVING GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PORTIONS AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS TO INTERFIT WITH THE SURFACE MEMBER, SINK, DISPOSER, AND ELECTRIC OUTLET AND WATER SUPPLY MECHANISM RESPECTIVELY, (D) MEANS, INCLUDING A PORTION OF SAID HOUSING AND SAID WATER SUPPLY MECHANISM, FORMING AN AIR GAP IN THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR SAID DISHWASHER, (E) SAID DISHWASHER INCLUDING AN ELECTRICAL TERMINAL STRUCTURE MOUNTED ON THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING, A FLEXIBLE CONDUCTOR CONNECTING SAID TERMINAL STRUCTURE TO THE ELECTRIC OUTLET, (F) A FLEXIBLE DRAIN CONDUIT CONNECTING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING TO THE DISPOSER, AND (G) A GUIDE PLATE MOUNTED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID HOUSING, SAID GUIDE PLATE INCLUDING A CURVED PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID HOUSING TO SUPPORT SAID CONDUCTOR AND SAID CONDUIT. 